Windswept Feelings
by Rhysenn
Summary: Seamus Finnigan. Ron Weasley. Harry Potter. Draco Malfoy. Yes, things get complicated. Slash ensues.
1. When Love Blossoms

Windswept Feelings, Chapter 1: When Love Blossoms, by Rhysenn

  
A/N: So, I've fallen in love with Seamus Finnigan too, and I thought that I'd give myself a shot at writing him, because that Irish lad is just so charming. Readers of _Irresistible Poison_, worry not, IP8 will be out as soon as my finals are done with. Promise.   
  
Overall R rating for slash (m/m) themes — if you're opposed to such, read at your own peril.  
  
Pairings! *gleeful look* Several pairings will feature in this story, mainly involving Seamus, Ron, Harry and Draco. But it's anyone's guess who will eventually end up with who — even I don't quite know, either. So just enjoy the ride — they definitely will :)   
  
This is just a little plot idea that wouldn't leave me alone, so I just wrote it out and posted it — if you folks like it so far, then I'll try and continue it as soon as I can. Feedback is much, much appreciated, so do leave a review.  
  
  
Just for Bec, who puts the S(lut) in Seamus.  
  
  
  
**Windswept Feelings   
Chapter One: When Love Blossoms**  
  
  
Seamus Finnigan flopped down next to Ron. He turned to him and batted his eyelashes, giving Ron his best winsome smile. "Go on, Ron, tell me who it is. There's hardly been any scandal around here lately, it's high time someone generated some."  
  
"And that someone won't be me," Ron snapped waspishly, sidling away from Seamus, closer to the fireplace. Seamus simply responded by promptly shifting closer to Ron again, pressing his shoulder against Ron's as he tried to wheedle an answer out of him.   
  
Ron groaned. "No, Seamus, NO."  
  
Seamus pouted, albeit sexily. "Yes, Seamus, _yesss._"  
  
"Stop that." Ron didn't like how suggestive that sounded at all, and he squirmed uncomfortably. Thankfully there was no one else in the common room, just he and Seamus. On second thought, Ron seriously doubted that was such a good thing after all.  
  
Seamus grinned, pleased to have visibly ruffled Ron's calm, which had already been quite shaky to begin with. He leaned even closer and started rubbing up against Ron in a slow, sensual movement, and put on his best husky bedroom voice and moaned convincingly, "Oh yes, _Ron, _oh _yessss..._"  
  
"Stop it!" Ron jerked violently away from Seamus' teasing ministrations, and ended up setting fire to the hem of his robes because he leaned right into the fireplace. "Argh! I'm on fire!"   
  
A hasty scramble for wands ensued, together with a lot of yelping (mostly from Ron), bemused laughter (only from Seamus), and creative swearing from them both as they tried to remember the Water spells they'd learned during class. Ron clearly didn't function very well in an emergency situation — the string of spells he'd shouted out didn't work, and his wand spouted tinsel and streamers instead of water, followed by a huge explosion of talcum powder, which filled their corner of the common room like a thick cloud of snow.  
  
Finally, Seamus got the Water spell right and swiftly put out the fire. It was really quite a small fire to begin with, but Ron's "Argh! I'm on fire!" had exaggerated the situation to twice its severity. The edges of Ron's robes were charred, however, and Ron was not very pleased about that at all.  
  
"Seamus!" he bellowed, looking very cross. He glared at the sandy-haired boy, who seemed to be trying his best to stifle a smile. "Congratulations, Seamus, you've successfully managed to set me on fire. And the common room is in a mess. Now, are you satisfied with the damage you've done for the day?"  
  
Seamus shook his head obstinately. "I'm not going to stop badgering you until you tell me who you're in love with." Ron remained stubbornly mute and started to pick out the burnt threads from the hem of his robes. "Oh don't be such a spoilsport, Ron. I'll find out whatever it takes, come hell or high water—" Seamus' eyes twinkled mischievously, "and since we've already had the fire and water elements, now it's time for the 'finding out' bit."  
  
"No," Ron said firmly, giving up picking threads and starting to dust off his robes, which were covered in white powder. Seamus was in quite a mess too — his sandy-blond hair glistened slightly wet from the jets of water, and tinsel and strands of colourful streamers clung to his powder-dusted robes — but the other boy seemed too engrossed with interrogating Ron to notice what a state he was in.  
  
They'd been working on a special breed of roses during Herbology today — Professor Sprout told them that they were Passion Roses, with very strong properties tending toward _eros_-related uses, such as in aphrodisiacs, philtres and scented aromatic bedroom candles. They were even used in concocting love potions, although Sprout had very sternly warned them that preparation of a love potion was strictly banned by the Ministry. Ron had been partnered with Seamus, and when Seamus went off to collect the soil they needed (they were repotting the Passion Roses), Ron had secretly taken a fallen rose and had started to peel off the petals, whispering "...loves me... loves me not; ...loves me...". Then, Seamus had suddenly reappeared and caught him de-petaling the flower. Seamus had squealed in delight, and even though Ron had feebly claimed that he was just plucking off the petals to count how many there were (in retrospect, Ron realised it was a very stupid excuse), Seamus had insisted that Ron had worn "a lovelorn expression on his face". Seamus had been pestering Ron to tell him who he was in love with ever since, though Ron had staunchly refused.  
  
"No, Seamus," Ron said again. "There's nobody I'm in love with. End of story."  
  
"Oh," Seamus placed his hands on his own hips, giving Ron a severe look, "so I'm just supposed to believe that you enjoy disfiguring pretty little flowers just for the cruel fun of it."  
  
"Yes, that will do. I never said I wasn't a nasty person. Goodbye, Seamus."  
  
Seamus changed tack, and now tried to look demure and contrite. "I'll clean up this mess—" he gestured at the dismal disarray of the area a five-foot radius around where they were standing, "if you tell me who you're in love with."  
  
"Nope."  
  
"Okay, then you can clean up this mess _and _tell me who you're in love with."  
  
"Gee, Seamus, you sure drive a good bargain."  
  
Seamus sat down on the floor, making it clear that it was not his intention to leave the scene until he got the answer he wanted. "Okay, I'll just guess, then. And I'll watch your face as I say each name, and when you turn red I'll know who the person is."  
  
"Okay, if you're not leaving, I will." Ron turned and started to walk away, but Seamus grabbed his hand and spun him back around.   
  
"One question, then," Seamus said quickly. "Is it me?"  
  
Ron sputtered with mirth, and actually smiled. "No, Seamus, it's not you. Sorry to burst your big ego."  
  
Seamus grinned, then caught Ron completely off-guard as he suddenly pushed Ron to the floor, although not with bruising force. Ron blinked, and the next moment he found himself flat on his back on the common room floor, with Seamus straddling his chest and leaning forward until they shared a disturbing level of intimacy. Seamus' lips were just inches away from his own mouth, and Ron could feel Seamus' breath warm on his face and neck.  
  
"Is it Hermione, then?" Seamus asked ruthlessly, with a superior smirk on his face. He knew he was in control.   
  
Ron groaned. "No! It's not Hermione!" He tried to push Seamus away, but to no avail. "Get off me, Seamus, what the hell do you think you're doing?"  
  
Seamus smiled languidly. "Oh, hurry and do tell, Ron," he purred seductively, flattening his body on top of Ron's. "Imagine if someone walked in right now, what would they say if they saw us like this—"  
  
"Get _off!_" Alarm shot through him like fire in his veins, and Ron struggled with renewed vigour. But he didn't need to — Seamus abruptly rolled off him and gracefully got to his feet. Ron bolted into an upright position as soon as Seamus got off him; he stood up, giving Seamus an injured, reproachful look. He was about to commence telling Seamus off when he saw the expression of genuine surprise in Seamus' eyes. "What? What is it?"  
  
Seamus smiled, looking satisfied and mildly amused, and said simply, "You're in love with Harry."  
  
Ron choked, and was about to splutter something when his words also choked, so he just opened his mouth and nothing came out. He mimed a goldfish for a few moments longer before he finally sighed, and decided that he was too tired to argue with Seamus anymore.   
  
"How did you guess?" Ron asked tiredly, slumping down onto a nearby chair and looking defeated.  
  
Seamus sat down next to him, and to Ron's surprise, didn't start teasing or making fun of him. "Well, it's obviously someone from Gryffindor, since you were afraid that they'd walk in and see us in the, uh, compromising position we were in. Since it's not me or Hermione, and Dean and Parvati are dating and I know you don't like Lavender much... so unless it's Neville, I figured Harry's the most likely one."  
  
_Man, he's good,_ Ron thought grudgingly. He didn't meet Seamus' searching eyes — suddenly, he felt embarrassed that Seamus knew he had feelings for Harry, especially since he and Harry had been friends, and just that, for so long. Coupled with the fact that Seamus wasn't the most reputable keeper of secrets...  
  
Seamus seemed to read his thoughts. "Don't worry," he said quietly, "I won't tell Harry. You have the license to kill me if I do."  
  
"Right," Ron remarked dryly, "a lot of good that'll be, after Harry decides never to talk to me again. The pleasure of hacking you to bits will be so much of a consolation then."  
  
"Oh, come _on,_" Seamus hopped to his feet, looking bright and optimistic and so very... Seamus. "Don't be such a pessimist. What makes you think Harry will ignore you if he finds out that you like him? He may even be interested in upgrading to the 'more than friends' option."  
  
"Somehow I seriously doubt it." Ron said gloomily. "I think I've been in the friend zone for waaay too long for him to even think of me any other way. Wait, make that bound hand and foot and _shackled_ in the deepest dungeon of the friend zone."  
  
"Perhaps Harry'd like you bound and shackled to someplace else instead," Seamus piped up, grinning. "Like, oh I don't know, maybe his bed?"  
  
"Shut up!" Ron picked up a handful of streamers and tossed them at Seamus, who laughed and danced out of his reach, and from a safe distance away, proudly announced,   
  
"I've got an idea."  
  
Ron arched an eyebrow in a not-very-hopeful manner. "I hope it's not the striptease theory you regaled us with the other day, because I don't think that really works in real life. Actually it doesn't even work hypothetically."  
  
Seamus feigned a hurt look. "Hey, I spent a lot of time thinking up that striptease theory."  
  
"Really." Ron replied, rolling his eyes. "And this idea you say you've got can't have taken more than five minutes to think up. All the more a cause for worry." He sighed. "Look, Seamus, I know you're trying to help but I really think I need to figure this out on my own. Thanks anyway — and I'll appreciate it if you don't anyone else about this."  
  
"Okay. I won't tell anyone." Seamus nodded, and then tilted his head pensively. He agreed that Ron needed to think this out on his own to figure out what he really wanted. He made a mental note, however, to find out from Ron in a few days' time what he was going to do. Nah, he couldn't wait a few days — he'd ask Ron again tomorrow. Or maybe even later.  
  
Seamus' expression sobered for a moment. "But seriously, Ron, you really should try talking to Harry." Catching Ron's horrified look, Seamus hastily said, "You needn't actually _tell_ him what you feel, but just go and test the water for a bit. Fish around and see if there's any, you know, _possibility _for stuff to happen." Seamus suddenly broke into a broad grin. "I can hardly believe this. You and Harry. Oh, this is so fun. So, so fun."  
  
Ron groaned and buried his face in his hands, muttering something that sounded a lot like "Shut up, Seamus."  
  
Seamus laughed, but wisely said nothing. Yes, this _could _get really interesting.  
  
  
  
~~ tbc ~~   
  
Ron and Seamus hold sway in this chapter, but Draco and Harry make their appearance in the next part, and the web gets more tangled as we get along. Quoting Seamus: "So, so fun." :)   
  
  
---  
  



	2. Just Say The Words

Windswept Feelings, Chapter 2: Just Say The Words, by Rhysenn

  
**Windswept Feelings   
Chapter Two: Just Say The Words**  
  
  
When the next and final item on the agenda was Seamus' idea, Ron knew how desperate the situation had become. He shook his head ruefully as he tried to concentrate on the Potions readings in front of him. _I cannot believe I'm actually thinking of going along with what Seamus suggested._  
  
Ron looked up, saw Harry sitting across from him, and ceased to think rationally altogether. His heart did a silly little somersault, and Seamus' idea steadily became more feasible, if not for anything else, because just sitting there and staring and doing nothing was slowly driving him down the illustrious path of insanity.  
  
He and Harry were alone in the dormitory, where they were trying to get some studying done away from the noise and disturbance of the common room downstairs. They were each sitting on their own beds, and Ron had carefully arranged books and scrolls all around him to keep up the flimsy pretence of studying.   
  
Finally, Ron decided that he couldn't take it anymore. He had to say _something,_ and it was now or never. Well, maybe it was now or later or never, but the latter two options involved the agony of waiting some more, and that was severely detrimental to his mental state of health.  
  
"You know, Harry, I was just thinking," Ron started awkwardly. He swung his feet over the side of his own bed, stood up, and walked nervously over to Harry's bedside.  
  
Harry glanced up curiously. "About what?" The casualness that Ron had tried to project had apparently fallen flat on its face, because Harry gave Ron a mildly concerned look. "Is there something wrong?"  
  
"No, no," Ron said hastily, sitting down on the foot of Harry's bed. "Just some normal stuff, you know, homework and people and relationships and Quidditch and things like that." Ron spoke very fast, and he was painfully aware that he was blathering nonsense, and not very eloquently either.  
  
Harry smiled, and Ron was glad that he was already sitting down, or his knees would have given way under him. "Gee, Ron, that sounds like quite a lot to think about all at once." He paused, and gave Ron a searching look. "You sure you're feeling okay?"  
  
Ron avoided answering the question, because he was sure that he wasn't feeling okay at all. His heart was beating rather erratically and his breathing was quick and shallow. He vaguely wondered if he was going to faint right there on Harry's bed, which would be a nice thing, except that it wouldn't look very good for them. People would wonder what they had been doing in bed. And it wouldn't reflect very well on Ron that _he_ had passed out doing... whatever.  
  
Realising that Harry was watching him with a puzzled expression on his face, Ron determinedly pulled himself together and continued, "Anyway, I was just thinking, you know, just a general sort of wondering about... about unlikely people." Ron felt as if each word was being yanked out from him with a pair of pliers.  
  
"Unlikely people?" Harry arched his eyebrow, and the confused expression on his face wasn't helping Ron get any less nervous. "What do you mean, unlikely?"  
  
Ron inhaled deeply, and he suddenly regretted bringing this whole matter up to begin with. Harry was looking at him with a mix of innocence and curiosity that was altogether very fetching indeed. His fragmented thoughts scattered even more, and Ron tried to figure out how he was supposed to discreetly say 'Harry, I think I'm in love with you' without actually using those exact words.  
  
"Okay," Ron finally said carefully, casting about for the right words, "for example, how would you react if you found out that someone totally unexpected had feelings for you? Just as a matter of discussion, of course," he added hastily.  
  
Harry furrowed his brow. "Completely unexpected," he mused thoughtfully. "You know, it's rather hard to visualise something that you don't even expect in the first place. Like who?"  
  
Ron was about to say 'like your best friend,' but he quickly realised that was about as discreet as fishing with an anchor. So he leapt to the other extreme and decided to go with, "Like your worst enemy, maybe?" The perfect example suddenly occurred to him. "Malfoy, for instance." _That_ was about the worst-case scenario, wasn't it?  
  
Harry's eyebrows shot up. "Malfoy?" he repeated incredulously. "_Malfoy?_ What are you getting at, Ron? Why in the world would Malfoy be interested in me?"  
  
"Precisely!" Ron said emphatically, "How would you react if you found out that someone as unexpected as Malfoy, whom you'd _never_ even suspect on any normal occasion, actually likes you secretly?"  
  
"Malfoy." Harry repeated, still sounding dubious. "Really, Ron, do you think that's even possible?"  
  
"I'm just saying hypothetically," Ron answered earnestly, "it doesn't have to be someone you hate so much. It can very well be someone that you're so _close_ to that you take it for granted." Ron looked at Harry meaningfully. "So, how would you react?"  
  
A certain understanding dawned on Harry's face; he tilted his head pensively. "I see what you mean," Harry said slowly, averting his eyes from Ron's. He chewed on his lower lip for a moment, and when he looked back again, Ron saw that there was a tentative, hesitant expression in his green eyes.   
  
_What is Harry thinking? _Ron held his breath and wondered if it would help if he stopped breathing altogether. At least that was guaranteed to calm him down. Ron noticed the veiled uneasiness in Harry's eyes, and his heart sank — what if Harry was just thinking of the nicest way to tell him 'no'? The nicest way to do _that_ was probably to stick a knife in Ron's chest and twist it around for a bit. This was all Seamus' fault, Seamus and his bright fishing ideas—  
  
"Well," Harry finally spoke up, and his words were careful and measured; he looked up at Ron through dark lowered lashes, and Ron felt himself melt all over again. "You know, I'm actually glad that you brought this up, and I'm not going to deny it. Because the truth is, I've been wanting to ask you about it for the last few days, but I didn't really know how to bring it up to you."  
  
Ron felt his heart leap up and slam against his ribcage — he froze for a moment, before a torrent of joy and relief flooded through him. "Really?" He could barely believe his ears, and Seamus swiftly became one of Ron's favourite people. "You— you actually feel _that_ way...?"  
  
Harry nodded. "I know you think it's kind of strange—" he smiled almost bashfully, "and it's been bothering me for a while now, so I'm happy that you've mentioned it. All the while I was afraid that you wouldn't understand."  
  
Ron was giddy with happiness; he shifted closer to Harry and beamed at him. "My god, I'm glad we've finally got this out in the open. I had no idea you felt this way, but— but I just _had_ to ask you." At this, Harry gave him the sweetest, most sincere smile Ron had ever seen in his life, and Ron suddenly wanted nothing more than to kiss Harry, to touch those soft lips with his own.   
  
Just then, Harry sat back against the head of his bed, sighed and said, "Now the question is, what happens next. I mean, I still have no idea how he feels."  
  
Ron's heart abruptly stopped, and his breathing mechanism malfunctioned again. "_He?_"  
  
Harry nodded. "Malfoy, of course." He paused, and looked at Ron quizzically. "Who did you think I was talking about?"  
  
Ron's soaring hopes came crashing down upon him like a desert storm, stinging him with pain, such deep pain, sharp and rending and tearing him apart. Ron suddenly decided that if he could become an Animagus, he'd want to be an ostrich. At times like right now, all he wanted to do was to bury his head in the sand; maybe then he'd mercifully suffocate.   
  
"Nothing," Ron managed to gasp weakly, but Harry was too deep in thought about Malfoy to notice Ron's inner anguish.   
  
"This is pretty impossible, if you think about it," Harry said, sounding rueful. "For starters, Malfoy has no idea that I'm rather— attracted to him." Ron made a choked gurgling noise; Harry mistook it for a snort of laughter, and quickly added, "I mean, it's not like it was a premeditated thing. It's just that I've been watching him fly during the Slytherin practices, and one of those days I just— just _noticed_ him, in a completely different light from how I've always seen him. He just looked so damn good that day, the way he flew."  
  
Harry's voice sounded so wistful, and Ron wondered if a person could actually pass out from severe mental agony, such as that of finding out the boy you loved actually had a crush on the boy you hated. And this time, Ron didn't care if he passed out on Harry's bed. That would probably be the closest he could ever get to being _with_ Harry, anyway.  
  
Ron closed his eyes. Things really couldn't get any worse.  
  
As if on cue, there was a click as the doorknob turned, and the door opened. Seamus walked into the dormitory, and saw Harry and Ron both curled up on Harry's bed, although a respectable distance apart. His blue eyes lit up with excitement.  
  
"Oh, _Ron!_ You're in Harry's _bed!_" Seamus sounded positively delighted..  
  
"He says it like it's a special thing," Harry muttered to Ron, just as Seamus bounded over. Ron knew exactly what Seamus was thinking at the moment, and groaned inwardly — now he just wished he could evaporate into thin air and spare himself the humiliation of everything that had just gone wrong.   
  
For one bright and shining moment, it seemed that his world had been perfect. For those precious few minutes, fragile and now shattered, he had believed that Harry, _his_ Harry, actually returned his feelings for him. It had been such a beautiful, exhilarating moment, ecstasy like Ron had never felt before, but now the memory of it ached with a bittersweet pain.  
  
"So!" Seamus flashed them both a broad, knowing grin; Harry gave him a strange, mildly wary sort of look. "So, this is fun. What have you two been up to all night? We missed you down in the common room." Seamus gave a cheeky little smirk, and prodded Ron playfully. "Don't suppose you missed us, hmm, Ron?"  
  
Ron shot Seamus a look sharp enough to slice glass; Seamus blinked and raised his eyebrows in surprise, as if to ask, _What's the matter? You mean you two haven't been making out? _  
  
"Oh, we've been studying," Harry offered, seeing that Ron was determinedly refusing to answer. "And we were just chatting for a bit — nothing much."  
  
"I see." Seamus continued to look at Ron meaningfully, although Ron now avoided his gaze for most of the time. "Hmm, just chatting, were you? So I wasn't— interrupting anything, was I?" He sounded almost hopeful that he had indeed been guilty of a rude intrusion.   
  
Harry shook his head, and said that it was all right, since he was just going down to return Hermione some notes that he had borrowed, anyway. Harry got up and picked up Hermione's stack of notes, then headed off toward the dormitory door; he turned back and gave Ron a quick smile, before disappearing down the stairs.   
  
Two seconds after Harry exited the scene, Seamus had settled himself on Ron's bed, where Ron was sitting with a dazed, traumatised look on his face. Seamus gave Ron a curious look, and didn't like the stormy darkness clouding Ron's face.   
  
"Okay," Seamus began inquisitively, nudging Ron lightly on the shoulder. "So what just happened with you and Harry? How did it go? I mean, Harry was smiling and happy and all, so that must be a good sign… right?" Seamus looked to Ron for affirmation, but received none, only a continued vacant expression, blank and utterly defeated. "Or maybe not. Hmm. Okay, this is not good, now I'm getting really worried. What happened? Oh _Ron_, come on, talk to me."  
  
Ron buried his face in his hands and let out a soft, low moan. "I don't want to talk," he said in a muffled, choked voice. "I just want to die."  
  
"Don't die, Ron!" Seamus actually managed to sound brightly sincere, and he topped it off with a brilliant, impish grin. "After all, you haven't kissed Harry yet, have you? That's definitely something worth living for."  
  
Ron groaned. "I think I'll end up living forever, waiting for that to happen. And even if I do, it _still_ won't happen."  
  
"Living forever, hmm?" Seamus tilted his head slightly in mock fascination. "Ooh, like a vampire. How very sexy, Ron. Imagine, you'll give real killer love bites." Seamus let out an amused peal of laughter.  
  
"It isn't funny." Ron's voice sounded so grave that Seamus instantly sobered and looked contrite. Ron slowly turned to look at Seamus, and his eyes were filled with undisguised pain. "So I did what you suggested," he said tonelessly, his voice colourless and quiet, as if talking to himself. "And it didn't go well at all."  
  
Seamus' eyes softened with sympathy. "Harry… didn't really respond? Like you hoped he would?" he asked delicately, resting his palm over Ron's hand in a quietly comforting gesture.  
  
Ron sighed. "Oh, he responded all right. But definitely not in the way I hoped." He took a deep breath, and blurted out, "It turns out that Harry's in love with Malfoy instead."  
  
Seamus' jaw dropped. "Oh my god! That's not good!"   
  
Ron nodded dully. "My reaction exactly. Only a thousand times more horrible, and all I could do was grin and bear it as Harry went on and on and on about that bastard." Ron covered his face again. "It was absolutely humiliating."  
  
Seamus squeezed Ron's hand lightly. "Should I not ask what actually happened?"  
  
Ron decided that he really could do with someone to confide in at the moment, and Seamus seemed about the best person he could talk to. He shrugged, and started to recount the entire dismal episode, right from the start when he had gone over to Harry's bed to talk. When Ron reached the part where he had first mentioned Malfoy's name by way of example, Seamus suddenly let out a startled gasp and leapt up.  
  
"No! You didn't!" Seamus had a purely horrified look in his eyes as he danced agitatedly in front of Ron. The Irish always liked to dance, in any situation.   
  
Ron blinked, nonplussed. "What?"  
  
Seamus still wore an expression of sheer disbelief. "Why in the name of all things sane did you have to bring up Draco Malfoy!" He paused, then asked hopefully, as if it was a mitigating factor, "Or did Harry bring Malfoy up first?"  
  
Ron shook his head, and looked confused. "What does that have to do with anything?"  
  
Seamus stopped dancing and skipping about, and commenced pacing back and forth in front of Ron. "So let me get this straight. You were sitting there, nice and proper, trying to tell Harry to reconsider the level of your friendship. Then, with no provocation whatsoever, completely out of the blue, you start talking about Malfoy?"  
  
Ron started to get exasperated. "I was trying to bring across a point!" he argued, glaring at Seamus.   
  
"_No!_" Seamus cried, shaking his head vigorously. "You don't mention Malfoy's name to bring across anything! Why on earth did you do that? That's, like, sabotaging your _entire_ plan, and this is what happens!" Seamus paused and visibly tried to calm himself; he walked back and sat down again next to Ron, who still looked completely bewildered at Seamus' ranting. "All right. Okay. Here's the thing. This may seem completely ridiculous to you, Ron, because you hate Malfoy, but… but Draco Malfoy is about the hottest Slytherin boy to have ever walked the halls of Hogwarts. Yep, that's about right. And he's probably the secret bedroom fantasy of half the student population."  
  
Ron spluttered and almost choked. "Excuse me? _Malfoy?_" He goggled at Seamus.   
  
Seamus nodded seriously. "He's everything that makes a forbidden fantasy so fun to live out. Of course, he's the boy that everyone loves to hate, but on the other hand… he's got that _quality_ about him. A mix of defiance and arrogance and poise and wit… all in all, _very_ fetching." Seamus paused, then added with a straight face, "And he does, admittedly, have a dead sexy body."  
  
"Oh my god," Ron said weakly, feeling distinctly sick. "I think I'm going to throw up." He gave Seamus a pointed, accusing sort of look. "Seamus Finnigan, don't you _dare_ say that you're one of the blind, brainless half of Hogwarts that actually finds…Malfoy… sexy." It seemed to take a huge effort for Ron to say the last two words.  
  
Seamus actually blushed. "I think he's all right." He quickly changed the subject, and his optimism shone to the fore again. "Okay, no point regretting what has already happened. Time for damage control. Right now, what you have to do is make Harry see that Malfoy isn't the sort of guy that's worth his trouble. Not when there's you, and you're obviously the better choice. All you have to do is make Harry see that."  
  
"And how am I supposed to do that, exactly?" Ron said bleakly.  
  
"Hmm. Good question." Seamus pondered for a while. "Ah, don't worry, we'll think of something soon."  
  
Ron wondered why he didn't exactly feel very comforted by Seamus' words.  
  
"And I'll help you," Seamus added brightly, leaning closer to Ron and tilting his chin so that he could look into Ron's unhappy blue eyes. "Oh, do cheer up, Ron, I hate seeing you so sad. Please? For me?"  
  
Ron smiled tiredly, and managed a small nod. Then again, having Seamus by his side was always a nice thing.   
  
  
  
~~ tbc ~~   
  
Really interesting pattern of pairing votes on the C&R list for the different possible match-ups in this fic :) All I can say is, keep guessing!  
Next chapter: finally, we get some *action*, though I'm not saying who gets to make out with who. But hopefully, it'll be worth the wait!  
  
  
^ ^ ^ ^ ^   
  
Thanks to Minx and Celeste for the beta.  
  
and the reviewers:  
  
Emily (_my dear Furry Ears, who's been so excited about this chapter_), Tenshi no Shikyo, Bec (_Seamus-girl, first class!_), plumeria (_who voted *4* pairings! hee!_), karina305, princess_katrina, C.A, Aura*Potter, Gwendolyn Grace (_hey, where's the next part of ABJ?_), Sylph (_Seamus/Draco eh? *g*_), Julietz Star Gazer, IckleRonniekins (_more Draco in next chapter, promise!_), Meriadoc (_welcome to the illustrious world of slash_), Xellchiri, Just Silver, Tessie, Keieru (_your finals are over, right? start writing, girl!_), Luckfire (_this is meant to be a much lighter fic than IP_), Lindsay Beth, jennifer (_I know, you're rooting for Draco/Seamus_), Marcelle1, Viktoria, Hermione, Kaelyn, wonders-of-magic, wingedkeys (_I thought your heart belonged to Sev? *g*_), Jewel, andi_sunrider, Prongs, Moriel (_no worries! IP8 after my finals!_), Benny, Destiny, Misako (_oh, you want H/D do you?_), ExCueTee, Amo Draconem!, Al (_my H/D ship's first matey_), treehavn, Sekhmet (_Seamus in bonds, now that's a lovely thought!_), CatFish, Miekka, Serafina (_poor Ron! the boy deserves a break_), Khirsah, Rehanna, Saitaina A. Moricia, Mack, Otaku_Neev, TicTac, Jedi Cosmos, Myst, Svolkame, Fleur and Treemonisha...   
  
...thanks for the support for my new pet fic :)   
  
  
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	3. Desperate Measures

Windswept Feelings, Chapter 3: Desperate Measures, by Rhysenn

  
A/N: The preceding two chapters have been fairly PG-ish, but everything from this chapter onwards is the reason why this series gets an overall R rating. Be warned that there will be scene(s) of two boys making out, although I don't think most of you would really mind all that much. If this isn't your drift, however, this is your cue to quietly take your leave.   
  
90 people voted on the "Who gets the First Snog of this series?" poll on the [cassie_and_rhysenn][1] list-- and here are the results for the most likely couple, in order of most votes:   
  
Seamus and Ron (37 votes) 41.11%   
Harry and Draco (19 votes) 21.11%   
Draco and Seamus (18 votes) 20.00%   
Ron and Draco (7 votes) 7.78%   
Seamus and Harry (6 votes) 6.67%   
Harry and Ron (3 votes) 3.33%   
  
Sooo... read on to find out if you've guessed right :)   
  
  
  
**Windswept Feelings   
Chapter Three: Desperate Measures**  
  
  
The most extenuating circumstances often precipitate the most bizarre plans, and Ron was struck with a brilliantly insane idea as he was walking back to the Gryffindor common room the next day, after having suffered through sitting next to Harry during the entire Potions class. He'd had to endure watching Harry glance furtively across the room a dozen times a minute, and had forced himself to grunt in response to Harry's quiet questions, like 'do you think he knows?' and 'did he just glance over at us?' It was brutally agonising, and Ron didn't think he could take much more of this... this torture.  
  
Harry had gone to check the Quidditch practice schedule for the Gryffindor team, and Hermione was at her Arithmancy class, so Ron waited alone inside the common room just beside the portrait hole for Seamus to come in. He needed to talk to Seamus— it was imperative that his little plan be put into effect as soon as possible, and Seamus was an integral part of it.   
  
A few minutes later, the sandy-haired boy crawled in, hopped out of the portrait hole, and was immediately accosted by Ron, who took Seamus by the arm and propelled him off to a far corner of the common room.  
  
"Seamus," Ron said in a low, urgent voice, "about the thing with Harry. I've got an idea, and I need you to help me out."  
  
Seamus nodded. "Okay. What do you want me to do?"  
  
Ron took a deep breath. "I want you to seduce Draco Malfoy."  
  
Seamus blinked twice, and stared at Ron, startled. "You want me to... uh, what?"  
  
"Seduce Malfoy." Ron cut in somewhat impatiently. He looked earnestly at Seamus. "Can you do that?"  
  
"Umm," Seamus bit his lower lip, and glanced up at Ron with wide eyes. "Well. There may be just a little problem with the doing, actually. In that, I can't." Seamus looked unhappy. "It's not... no, I can't do it, Ron, I don't think so."  
  
"Why not?" Ron was thoroughly distraught, and he raked a hand through his flaming red hair in frustration. "You said to ask you if I needed help."  
  
Seamus looked aggrieved. "I thought, like, if you wanted me to hand a letter to Harry for you, or—"  
  
"We have owls for that!" Ron said, exasperated. "I don't need you to deliver letters! I need you to seduce Malfoy!"  
  
A few younger Gryffindor students sitting nearby overheard Ron, and they turned and gawped at them, which was an understandable response when the words 'seduce' and 'Malfoy' were strung so closely together. Ron snapped something very rude at them, and they retreated back to their corner, giggling. Seamus couldn't help cracking a small smile.  
  
Ron turned back to him, desperation in his voice. "Please, Seamus. I need you to help me out with this. If Malfoy has the slightest idea that Harry likes him, then everything is _over_ for me. And I think I'll die if I have to stand by and watch Harry and Malfoy go off together." The intensity in Ron's eyes was overwhelming. "I _need_ you to distract Malfoy, so that he doesn't even think to notice Harry. You don't actually need do anything with him, but just— just make sure that he keeps away from Harry. Far, _far_ away from him."  
  
Seeing the plaintive look on Ron's face made Seamus's resolve weaken; Ron looked so distressed and upset, and his eyes were filled with pain and sadness at his own helplessness. Seamus hated to see Ron like this. He desperately wanted to make Ron feel better, and if this was what it took— after all, did a job get any more titillating than seducing Draco Malfoy?  
  
"Are you ever going to tell Harry that you like him?" Seamus asked, looking intently at Ron. "You can't keep running from it forever, you know."  
  
"I know," Ron groaned, sat back and closed his eyes. "I'll just have to work up the courage to tell Harry, somehow. Exactly how is another matter altogether, but I'll figure something out… soon enough."  
  
Seamus sighed. "And you want me to keep Malfoy _occupied_ in the meantime."  
  
Ron opened his eyes, and nodded. "Can you do that? Please?" He leaned forward and took Seamus's hand, his eyes pleading. "You're my only hope, Seamus, because at this moment I simply can't think of anything else that might work. Please? For me?"  
  
Seamus wanted to tell Ron that he wasn't being very fair by emphasising that there wasn't a Plan B in sight. That heaped on the pressure tremendously, and kind of made Seamus out to be a horrid person if he refused to help. And Seamus generally didn't like to be horrid to anyone, least of all Ron.   
  
Seamus took a deep breath and made his decision; he looked up at Ron and nodded. "All right. I'll try. But hey, no promises, okay? I'll see what I can do."   
  
The radiant smile that immediately lit up Ron's face made Seamus believe he'd done the right thing, even though deep down inside he wasn't so sure. Relationships were enough trouble without having to go out of the way to look for them. Seamus had had enough experience with the anomalous nature of emotions to know that they couldn't, and shouldn't, be manipulated. But on the other hand, just imagining the shattered expression on Ron's face if Harry and Draco got together was heartbreaking enough.   
  
"Thanks, Seamus," Ron said fervently, his eyes shining with relief and happiness. "You have no idea how much this means to me." He paused, and then gave Seamus an embarrassed sort of smile. "Look, you don't really have to _do_ anything with Malfoy— I'd really rather if you didn't, actually— just flirt with him a bit, that should be enough. You're cute enough to keep anyone enthralled, if you want to."  
  
Seamus didn't know whether to feel flattered or bemused or sad at Ron's words. He wondered what Ron meant by that; and frankly, it didn't sound very right. Ron made it seem as if his charm could be turned on and off at will, and that sounded so fake and contrived, which Seamus didn't like. It was so much better to be naturally fun, all day long. All night, too.  
  
At this point Harry stepped into the common room through the portrait hole, and Ron looked up, his face immediately brightening; Seamus could see the undisguised adoration in Ron's eyes as he gazed at Harry, who saw them and grinned. From the moment Harry had come in, it was clear that their conversation was over. Ron stood up as Harry walked over to where they were sitting, and Seamus gracefully got to his feet as well.  
  
Ron turned to Seamus, and flashed him a quick smile. "Thanks again, Seamus," he said in a low voice, his eyes filled with gratitude, "I owe you big time."  
  
Seamus rolled his eyes. "Damn straight you do, Weasley."   
  
Ron laughed, but Seamus could see that his attention was on Harry instead. Seamus looked over at Harry, who was completely oblivious to the way his best friend was looking at him. It was ironic how there were still some things that couldn't be shared, even between the best of friends.  
  
Seamus smiled at Ron and gave him a thumbs-up sign, then quietly slipped away and went up to the dormitory alone. He needed to think about what he'd just promised to do for Ron. It was too late for regrets now. But then again, Seamus thought, as a smile crept onto his face, it didn't get any better than the chance to have it on with Draco Malfoy. That was an altogether fun thing.   
  
Seamus thought about Malfoy, with his stunning arrogance and elegant disdain, and privately agreed with the silent consensus that Draco was about the sexiest person with whom you could possibly get laid. Lots of boys were nice-looking, sure— Harry was cute in the sweet, innocent sort of way, for instance, and Ron was tall and boyishly attractive— but Draco. Draco was _sexy._   
  
Seamus smiled. It looked as if his little job would be more of a pleasure than a burden. It was a fun challenge, and he busied himself with drifting thoughts about how it would feel to be nudged up against the wall and ravished by Draco. And better still, if he had anything to say about it, soon enough his fantasies would become delightful reality.   
  
  


* * * * * * *

  
  
_Operation: Seduce Malfoy_ seemed perfectly simple in theory, but Seamus had a feeling that it would be a whole lot harder when it came to the actual doing. Seamus wondered what Draco would have to say if he went up to him and started flirting with him. Knowing Draco, probably a lot of not-very-pleasant things… but then again, Seamus could just shut him up by kissing him.  
  
Seamus lingered at the entrance to the Quidditch changing rooms, trying not to look suspicious. The Slytherin team had just finished practice, and Seamus had conveniently been around the bend and had decided to drop by to say hello to the Slytherin captain. Yeah, right. More like, he'd been sitting and watching Draco practice Quidditch for half the afternoon, so that he could maybe catch a private moment with him afterward. He hadn't actually _needed_ to sit through the entire practice session. But for some reason, he'd _wanted_ to. He liked the way Draco flew— Draco possessed the elegance and grace that defined the beauty of flying.  
  
Shrugging off the odd, slightly hostile looks the Slytherin players were giving him as they filed out of the changing room, Seamus poked his head inside and searched for Draco. He immediately spotted Draco sitting on the benches by the lockers, towel-drying his silky blond hair, which glistened wet and golden instead of its usual silvery tint. Draco had on only a shirt— loosely draped across his shoulders and left unbuttoned down the front— and a pair of half-zipped jeans with the buckle still undone.   
  
And _god_ did he have a nice body. Seamus indulged himself in a few moments of blatant staring, and he liked what he saw— Draco's slender outline defined the toned curves of his body, giving his somewhat delicate features a hard, firm edge to them. _Oh, he is so, so shexy..._  
  
"You looking for someone, Finnigan, or just looking?"  
  
Seamus was jolted back to reality by Draco's voice, which sounded sharp and edged with antagonism. Seamus took a deep breath as he boldly stepped into the changing room, looking calmer than he felt. _Yes, Finnigan, _he told himself. _You know the moves. Use them. _  
  
There were only a couple of other players still in the changing room, other than Draco; they looked at Seamus curiously as he stepped in. Seamus barely glanced at them as his eyes met Draco's, whose gaze were resting evenly on him, betraying no emotion. Seamus felt his heart skip a beat, and then a few more in quick succession.   
  
"What do you want?" Draco asked without preamble, eyeing Seamus warily.  
  
Seamus cleared his throat, and offered his most charming smile. "I just wanted to have a word with you, Draco." He spoke Draco's first name clearly, and saw Draco arch his eyebrow in quiet surprise. Feeling more confident, Seamus walked forward, his footsteps paced and carefully measured, until he stood only a few feet away from Draco. "Could we talk… in private?" Seamus let the last word roll off his tongue sensually, smooth as velvet.  
  
A flitter of emotion crossed Draco's face, and a certain dawning comprehension grew in his eyes. For a moment, Draco said nothing, and they just looked at each other; Seamus felt himself being drawn into Draco's unflinching gaze, his icy silver eyes glazed with a new, tentative understanding. It sent an electric shiver through Seamus, which felt strangely titillating.  
  
Finally Draco spoke up, without breaking their eye contact. "You all go on ahead without me," he said to his other two teammates, although he didn't turn his eyes to look at them. "This might take a while, so don't wait up for me." The other two Slytherins nodded, gathered their things and left, casting suspicious glances at Seamus on their way out.   
  
When they were finally alone, Draco got to his feet and took a few steps forward, until he was standing in front of Seamus, and they were close enough that Seamus could reach out his hand and touch Draco if he had wanted. But he didn't, of course. That would come later.  
  
"So what is it you wanted to talk about, Finnigan?" Draco's voice was still cool and detached, although his tone was knowingly questioning. "You have all the privacy you want now, and something tells me that this has nothing to do with business matters. So, let's hear it."  
  
"I was watching you fly during your practice, and I'm very impressed by your flying style, Draco," Seamus began, feeling comfortably dizzy by the fact that he was actually alone with Malfoy, who was suitably half-dressed for the occasion. _Very_ nice.  
  
"Yes, I saw you sitting with the bunch of Slytherin first- and second-years who always come and watch us practice." Draco smirked. "It's not hard to notice the thorn among the roses."  
  
Seamus didn't flinch at Draco's little insult; it was all part of the game. "I especially liked the way you align your body with the handle so perfectly— I don't think I've seen anyone look so alluring on a broomstick as you did." Seamus spoke in a low, composed voice, his manner unruffled; he glanced coyly up at Draco. "Maybe you could let me get on it sometime." A pause. "With you, of course."  
  
"This is what you wanted to tell me? That you want to... ride my broomstick?" Draco took a step backward, and eyed Seamus critically. "Is that what this is about, Finnigan?"  
  
Seamus tilted his head and gave Draco a languid smile, then easily moved even closer with a quick, smooth movement. "I thought you couldn't look sexier than you did just now, the way you looked with the wind in your hair and the sunlight on your face." Seamus paused, and let his eyes slowly flicker down the length of Draco's body, taking in every detail, before he lifted his eyes to meet Draco's once again. His voice was soft and seductive. "I guess I was wrong."  
  
Then Seamus leaned forward, closing the distance that separated them, and kissed Draco full on the lips. He felt Draco tense initially, but that quickly altered as Draco's hands moved up to firmly hold his shoulders; the next moment, Draco was kissing him back with equal passion, and Seamus felt himself being roughly shoved up against the lockers, held in place by Draco's body pressing hard against his own.   
  
Draco's mouth tasted warm and fresh, like dew and summer rain, wet and deliciously smooth against his lips. Seamus moaned as Draco's tongue flickered out, prying his lips apart and running slowly over his lower lip, outlining the ridge of his teeth; he felt Draco smile and laugh low in his throat, and Draco's voice was soft and husky as he whispered, "You like this, don't you Finnigan?"   
  
A warm tingle tickled up his spine, and Seamus shivered from the impossible heat that was radiating from Draco's body; in response he merely nodded, and lifted his face to receive Draco's mouth on his own once more. Draco's lips ravished his with an almost bruising force, then moved away from Seamus's mouth and began to trail kisses along Seamus's jaw and down the slender curve of his neck. Draco teasingly bit down at random intervals as his lips marked Seamus's skin, making Seamus moan and toss his head backward, exposing more of his bared neck to Draco's undoubtedly skilful mouth.   
  
"So nice," Draco murmured against Seamus's shoulder, as he began to disrobe him, pushing the black robes away and letting them fall to the floor, revealing a white cotton shirt underneath. Draco's fingers deftly began to undo the top few buttons, and he slid his hand inside, making Seamus gasp softly and arch his body plaintively toward Draco. Seamus's breathing was fast and shallow, aroused by the sensation of kissing Draco, of the way Draco's hand was stroking across his chest, his fingernails just lightly scraping across his skin—  
  
Then Draco suddenly withdrew and took a step backward, breaking their intensely physical contact. Seamus's eyes flashed open in surprise and dismay; they were clouded with helpless desire. "Draco?"  
  
"Is this what you had in mind when you came looking for me, then?" Draco's voice sounded mockingly amused. "Is this what you wanted?"  
  
Seamus bit his lower lip and tried to compose himself; his thinking faculties were still severely impaired by what Draco had been doing to him for these past few minutes. He raised his eyes to look at Draco's, and was met with calm eyes of startling grey, mutely questioning.   
  
"No, Draco." Seamus answered softly; his blue eyes softened, hazing over with a pensive expression. Seamus slowly stepped around Draco, never once breaking eye contact, gracefully manoeuvring both of them such that their positions were now reversed, with Draco leaning with his back flat against the lockers instead. "This wasn't why I came." Seamus lifted his hand and let it trail over Draco's chest, exposed where his shirt was parted, completely unbuttoned down the front. He heard Draco inhale sharply, which was about the only indication of his own arousal— Seamus smiled knowingly, and gave Draco a meaningful, lingering look through lowered lashes, and said sensually, "I came because I wanted _you._"   
  
Seamus saw the quiet surprise in Draco's eyes; then he moved forward and licked Draco's chest, letting his tongue slide slowly over his skin, warm with flourishing desire. Seamus tasted the mild saltiness of a new layer of perspiration that was starting to form on Draco's just-showered body, and he breathed in deeply, smelling the apple-fresh scent of his bath soap.   
  
"Seamus," Draco hissed softly, the other boy's name escaping his lips on the wings of a whispered breath. He closed his eyes and bit back a groan as Seamus licked his way over his chest, leaving a trail of wetness as his tongue moved lower, and he felt Seamus's slim fingers gently pushing his new shirt off his shoulders. Seamus's hands ran along the hard plane of his chest, and the sandy-haired head was lowered slightly; Draco leaned back against the lockers behind him for support, and then reached his hands over to tangle his fingers in Seamus's hair, fine like woven silk dyed the colour of the desert, bright and sunny and hot like Seamus was.  
  
Seamus could feel Draco's heart beating faster than it rightly should, sending quickened pulses vibrating through Draco's chest, over which his lips were moving with languid grace, and he was taking his time. Seamus drew back his lips and bared his teeth, biting down on Draco's warm flesh, almost tasting the passion that was rising in Draco's veins, licking the blood of desire as his teeth lightly broke skin.  
  
Making out with Draco Malfoy was really nothing like Seamus had expected. Draco was smooth and seemed experienced enough, but he still let Seamus do most of the teasing, letting him kiss and nibble and lick as he pleased. Seamus kissed his way along the firm, smooth plane of Draco's chest, and soon felt Draco's mouth lowering to meet his, and he wrapped his arms around Draco's neck and drew him close, kissing him deeply. Seamus could feel Draco's hands running down his bare back before coming to rest on his hips, and Draco held Seamus firmly against his own body.   
  
This was certainly a very comfortable position to be in— Draco was barely an inch taller than Seamus, and Seamus melted into the heated embrace, letting Draco kiss him and make him dizzy with pleasure, and he was drunk on pure sensation alone. He was vaguely aware that his shirt had long since been discarded, and that Draco's hands were now worrying along the waistband of his jeans.   
  
Seamus slowly sank to his knees— he wasn't quite sure if it was a conscious action on his part, or that it was because his legs had gone so weak they just wouldn't hold him up any longer— his hands were shaking very badly as he reached up to lower the zipper of Draco's jeans, which were already unbuttoned. His trembling fingers could barely grasp the zipper, and Seamus was appalled at himself; why the hell was he so nervous?  
  
He was just about to pull down Draco's jeans when Draco suddenly reached over and caught his wrists, halting his movement— Seamus looked up in questioning surprise. Draco wordlessly shook his head once, and he pulled Seamus off his knees, drawing him up to his level so that they could kiss again, and their teeth clinked against each other's as they kissed hard, fervently.   
  
Seamus was momentarily surprised that Draco didn't expect something from him, not even the obvious that he'd been prepared to give. Seamus closed his eyes and let himself melt into the swirling sensation as it quivered through his body, new and exquisite and uniquely Draco, Draco's hands sliding over his body, roaming randomly, daringly sexual yet not intrusively so.   
  
And for the first time, Seamus realised that with Draco, it didn't always have to be him giving and Draco taking. And it felt nice, a beautiful seduction, and Seamus kept his eyes shut and concentrated on the lingering sweetness and ache as Draco's lips ravished his; Seamus gradually forgot everything except the here and now, and this was all that mattered.   
  
  
~~~   
  
  
So, the 20% of you who voted Draco/Seamus, spot on! :)   
  
Will there be a happy ending in sight for our boys anytime soon? Not quite yet. The next chapter brings more misunderstandings and snogs and discoveries and secret make-out sessions... so stay tuned.   
  
Thanks to all the wonderful reviewers for the past two chapters, and to Minx and Celeste for the beta!   
  
  
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   [1]: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cassie_and_rhysenn



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